FAST & FABULOUS: Post Holiday French Toast

November 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Do you find yourself wanting to make a special breakfast for the family in the days following holiday dinner yet you are unprepared and exhausted? That is how I feel each year after hosting a holiday dinner at my house.

Ever since I’ve had kids, I host Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve dinner at our house. With babies, I thought it would be easier to have people come over and enjoy the food at my house rather than toting my children along with all of their stuff.

THE GUILTY GOURMET

With big meals, come bigger cleanups. By the time I go to bed I can’t hold myself up anymore and the thought of making something intricate for breakfast is not in my priority list. That is, until I realize that the grandparents are sleeping over instead of traveling back home late at night in the cold.

GRANDMA TO THE RESCUE!

Not to worry. I have plenty of ideas from my Abuela in my recipe binders. My grandmother used to make overnight French toast on Sunday mornings.  I’ve modified her recipe a bit to include some of the current fall flavors like pumpkin and cinnamon.

READ RELATED: “SPANISH” FRENCH TOAST

You’ll love these because the prep-time is short, the refrigerator does all the work and all you have to do is throw them in the oven while you enjoy your first cup of coffee in the morning.

Overnight Pumpkin French Toast

Prep time: 5 minutes. Wait time: 10-15 minutes & Overnight

Serves 6

Ingredients:

5 eggs, beaten

¾ cup milk

½ cup pumpkin puree

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 loaf Italian bread, cut into 8 (1-inch thick) slices

Powdered sugar for decoration

Instructions:

  1. Mix eggs, milk, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, vanilla extract, baking powder.
  2. On a 13×9 baking dish, lay slices of French bread.  (I know I wrote 8, but sometimes there is room for more, squeeze them in!)
  3. Pour mixture over bread to coat evenly.  After 10-15 min, turn to absorb from bottom.
  4. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
  5. Bake in preheated 450°F oven 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.
Filed Under: Breakfast, Featured Stories, Recipes Tagged With: , ,

THE SWEET LIFE: T-Day Treat/Chocolate-Coffee Cupcake!

November 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Abuelita Chocolate Cupcakes

Cupcakes are easy to whip up, easy to bake, and of course…super easy to gobble up.

So, here’s a  wonderful, Latino-flavored treat that is a great way to greet your guests who arrive at your house early in order to help with holiday cooking.

This is chocolate and the traditional taza de café all baked into one delicious cupcake!  These treats are sure to give everyone the energy and excitement for a day’s worth of holiday cooking!

And, I bet you have most of the ingredients in your kitchen ready to go!

 

Ingredients:

3 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate

1/3 cup of grated Abuelita Chocolate (reserve some extra for garnish)

3/4 cup hot coffee

3/4 cup cake flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

6 T vegetable oil

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°
  2. Line a standard cupcake tin with cupcake liners. Place the bittersweet chocolate and the Abuelita Chocolate in a medium bowl.
  3. Pour the hot coffee over the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate until completely cool, about 20 minutes.
  4. Whisk flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda together in a bowl and set aside.
  5. Whisk the oil, eggs, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla into the cooled chocolate mixture and blend until smooth.
  6. Add flour mixture and whisk until thoroughly combined.
  7. Fill cupcake liners approximately 2/3 full. Bake until the cupcakes have risen and just firm to the touch about 18-20 minutes.
  8. Cool to room temperature before frosting with your desired frosting and sprinkle reserved grated Abuelita Chocolate over frosting.

Here’s another great dessert idea from The Sweet Life here at Mamiverse Food!  Ivy Stark’s Crepas de Cajeta

 

 

Learn more about Casa Girl Cupcakes.


Filed Under: Breakfast, Featured Stories, Recipes Tagged With: , ,

Torrijas: Spanish Sweet Toast

April 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Torrijas: Spanish Sweet Toast

In America it’s “French” toast and it’s breakfast. In France it’s pain perdu, or “lost bread.” In Spain, bread dipped in egg and fried until golden is called torrijas and it’s a favorite springtime dessert.

The basic preparation: dip or soak thick slices of stale bread in sweetened milk, wine syrup or sweet wine, then into beaten egg. No, don’t mix the milk and egg together. Fry them in olive oil until golden. Sprinkle with sugar or drizzle with honey boiled with a little water. Sprinkle with lots of cinnamon. Serve at room temperature.

TORRIJAS
Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients
12 (¾-inch thick) slices stale bread
2 cups + 2 TBSP milk
½ cup sugar
1 strip lemon peel
1 stick cinnamon
2 large eggs
Olive oil for frying
1TSP cinnamon
1 TBSP sugar or 2 TBSP honey boiled with 1 TBSP water

Instructions

  1. Arrange bread in one layer in pan. In saucepan heat 2 cups milk with ½ cup sugar, lemon peel and cinnamon stick until sugar is dissolved.
  2. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
  3. Strain milk.  Pour milk over bread and allow to set until liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes.
  4. Beat eggs with the remaining 2 tablespoons milk. Place eggs in shallow bowl.
  5. Heat enough oil in large, heavy skillet to completely cover bottom. Dip slices of bread into  egg on both sides. Fry until browned on both sides. Remove to platter.
  6. Add additional oil to skillet as needed and continue frying remaining slices of bread.
  7. When all bread slices are fried, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar or drizzle with boiled honey.
  8. Serve toasts at room temperature.

 

Janet Mendel

This recipe is courtesy of Janet Mendel.

 

Filed Under: Breakfast, Recipes Tagged With: ,